I heard of a story where a man broke into a house to steal things. Hearing the homeowner come home he hid under a bed. As he lay there, the woman came home and went to be, but first she read out loud from the bible. The third was so impressed he left without stealing anything by her bible. He approached her at an assembly (remember that term?), telling her that because of her he was getting baptized that day and he wanted to give her her bible back. I found out later this fable has been used by most other religions
I have always been fascinated by urban legends and why people are so ready to believe such far fetched things. I used to wonder why people didn't investigate before passing these things on, especially now that we have the internet, then I realized they want to believe these things, facts are irrelevant, they are getting a payoff for being gullible. The above story confirms that the they made the correct decision in their choice of religion because it is such a powerful and good thing. Confirmation bias, it just feels good.
Other urban legends make the listener feel superior, because they would not be so stupid as to do whatever it is. My MIL couldn't wait to tell my eight year old daughter that Smurfs were demonized. One of them got up and walked out of the Kingdom Hall, horrors! It happened to a friend of a friend, so it must be true! My daughter was hysterical (thanks grandma) and we had to toss the doll that night. I didn't believe it, but it was easier just to toss the thing. All the non Snuff buying parents could feel smug - they didn't buy it, well - they were blue, therefore suspicious, they were smart not yo but one. A few years ago, I ordered my daughter a Smurf key ring as a joke n Amazon. It took her a few minutes, but she figured out it was from me, a little apology for bringing her up in a cult.
Maybe we should all get Smurf shirts as a protest against the Watchtower. Wouldn't it be funny to wear one to a convention?